There is an unwritten expectation that workers will continuously do their jobs more efficiently as time progresses — making them more valuable to employers.

But, there is always a point when efficiency and efficacy flat line, and if one facet of the equation increases, the other naturally decreases.

It is at this point that additional investments must be made in terms of hiring more employees or purchasing newer technologies — both of which cost an employer more money.

Then, the process of maximizing productivity with the available resources starts anew.

This productivity phenomenon, if illustrated, would resemble a chart of the U.S. stock market: Consistent peaks and valleys.

Of course, cleaning operations are less volatile than financial markets and much more predictable.

So, the next time you are asking more of your employees, stop and think about the resources available to them and whether or not further increasing productivity would actually make results suffer — the exact opposite of what is desired.

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